Chaeles hoff



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1-.

o. HOI'P. MACHINE FOR. GUT-TING PAPER GAPS.

No. 245,826. Patented Aug. 16,1881.

(No Model.) I 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

0. HOFF. MACHINE FOR GUTTING PAPER GAPS. No. 245,826. I Patented Aug. 16,1881! Bi-g3 IUIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIA UNITED STATES PATENT Orrica.

CHARLES HOFF, OF OINGINNATI, OHIO, ASSIGNOR OF ON E-HALF TO ANDREW JERGENS, OF SAME PLACE.

MACHINE FOR CUTTING PAPER CAPS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 245,826, dated August 16, 1881.

Application filed February 14, 1881. (No model.) i

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, GHARLESHOFF, of the city of Cincinnati, in the State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful improvement in machines for severing toy caps from a sheet of paper dotted at regular intervals apart with pellets of fulminate, of which the following is a specification.

The object of the invention is to provide a machine which will automatically feed the pellet-dotted sheet to suitable cutters, which sever the sheet into small squares, each square containing a fulminate-pellet, and delivers the desired number into a box, ready for sale.

In the accompanying drawings, in which similar letters of reference indicate like parts in the difi'erent figures, Figure 1 is a top-plan View of a machine embodying my improvements. Fig. 2 is a front'elevation of the same.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation. Fig. 4: is a central longitudinal vertical section. Fig. 5 is an enlarged perspective view of part of the shaft and slitting-blades for longitudinally severing one row of the caps at the same time the trans- 2 5 verse knife is severing them from the sheet. Part of the knives and separating-washers are shown in section. Fig. 6 is an enlarged view of the spring which holds the presser-plates down while the knives are acting upon the pa- 0 per, and until the severing-blades are withdrawn. Fig. 7 is an enlarged detail view, in

perspective, of the stationary knives and the presser-plate.

Referring to the parts, A is a bed-plate,

5 mounted upon a suitable frame or stand. The

top of the bed-plate is grooved near each edge,

to receive and guide the papencarrying frame B. The upper side of the frame is level with the top of the bed-plate. Clamping-strips b 40 are hinged to turn down upon the top of frame B and clasp the fnlminate-sheet firmly upon the top of the frame. The clampingstrips are held down by spring-buttons b. Upon one bar of the frame isa ratchet-bar, 0.. The teeth 4 5 of this bar are spaced the same distance apart as are the pellets upon the fulminate-sheet.

These teeth are engaged by a pawl,l which is journaled upon a pin secured in the head-stock E. The pawl is actuated bya stud, (l, which is capable of vertical adjustment to regulate the stroke of the pawl, and through it the feed of the paper-carrying frame. The pawl is held in contact with its actuating-stud by a spiral spring, 01. At each upward stroke of the knife-carrying slide the frame B is carried forward the length of one tooth and one row of pellets. The pawl D is returned to take a new bite with the downward stroke. The frame is steadied in its forward movement byaweight and cord at the rear end of the machine, and is held in the proper position while the caps are being severed by a detent, F, near the front of the machine. A bar, B, bent up to a right angle at the end, and which is adjustable in a groove cutin the under side of the 6 bed-plate, stops the frame in the desired position ,on its backward movement.

Fitted to turn with a shaft, g, which has its bearings in the edge of the bed-plate, is a gage,

G. The purpose of the gage is to true the sheet in position upon the frame, so that the cutting-knives may sever the sheet centrally between the lines of pellets. The gage is a right-angled try-square, and it is so placed that when turned down its longitudinal edge will be in the same plane as the edge of one of the slitting-knives, while its transverse edge will indicate the line upon the sheet through which the transverse knife will cut.

The plunger H, which carries the cutters; is fitted to slide vertically in the stationary headstock E, which is secured upon the bed-plate by brackets h upon each side, and is held in position by cap-pieces H The plungeris actuated by a lever, I, which has its fulcrum in a pin secured in an extension of the stationary piece E. The lever is attached to the plunger by a link, i.

The slitting-knives J are mounted upon a rod, j, and secured the proper distance apart 0 by washersj, the whole being clamped firmly together by nuts screwed upon either end of the rod j. The knives are sharpened to a point, so that they will pierce the paper without danger of exploding the fulminate should any of 5 it be dropped out of place upon the sheet.

The transverse cutting-knife K is set upon an angle, so as to haveadrawingcut. It, wit-h knives J, is securely fastened to the lower part of the plunger H.

The bed plate A has a transverse opening through it at a. The inner and upper edge of the plate is beveled off, and against it is secured the stationary cutting-blade K, which is also beveled upon the inside, to form, in connection with the end of plate A, a transverse V-shaped groove to receive the pointed out ters J.

Recessed into the bed-plate A, and extending over the V-shaped groove, is a notched plate, L, and above this plateis a similar plate, M. The plate M is secured by arms at to a rock-shaft, N, which has its bearings 11 secured tothestationaryhead-stockE. Aspiral spring is secured to and coiled around shaft N, and has its opposite ends secured to the stationary head piece. The strain of this spring throws up the plate M when itis released from the pressure of spring-rod 0. This rod is letinto a socketin the lower edge of theplunger H. A spring within the socket forces the rod to hold the presser-plate M upon plate L until the knives are withdrawn from the cap-sheet, which is held between the two plates.

Beneath the opening in the bed-plate A is a funnel, P. Thelowerend iscontracted toless than the size of the cap-boxes, which are automatically fed beneath it to receive the several caps.

The arrangement by which the cap-boxes are fed beneath the funnel is represented in Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawings, Fig. 2 showing a side elevation, and Fig.3 showing the device in transverse section.

Q is a sliding trough divided into compartments of a size. to receive the cap-boxes. This trough is fitted to slide in guides S, secured to the frame of the machine.

To the trough Q is secured a ratchet-bar, T, by which the trough is automatically fed beneath the funnel at each second stroke of the knife-carrying plunger by a bell-crank, R,fulcrumed upon an arm, R, projecting from the frame of the machine, one end of which is attached to the plunger and the other to a sliding rod, U, which carries a pawl, V, that engages the teeth of rack-bar T. i '7 i W As each box is to contain fifty caps, and as the most convenient size of sheet is one having but twenty-five pellets in each transverse row, it is necessary that the trough Q should be advanced at each alternate stroke of the plunger H and remain idle during the remaining strokes. This result is accomplished as follows:

W is a ratchet-wheel mounted on a shaft which has its hearings in the machine-frame. This ratchet is operated by a pawl pivoted upon the sliding bar U, and held in contact with the teeth of the ratchet by a spring." The wheel is of a size to be turned one-fourth of a revolution at each stroke of the plunger. Upon the face of this ratchet-wheel is secured a cam, 00, which has two fiat sides. Upon this cam rests the pawl V. At each alternate stroke of the plunger the high edge of the cam will hold the pawl above the teeth in ratchet T and at the next upward stroke the flat side of the cam will be presented beneath the pawl V, which permits the pawl to engage the teeth of rack T and feed the trough the length of one box. At the head-stock is a spiral spring, h, com pressed between two brackets, the one secured to the stationary piece E and the other to the top of plunger H. A rod secured in the lower bracket passes through the coil of the spring and retains it in position. The purpose of this spring is to throw up the plunger after the lever I has been released from downward pressure. A set-screw passing through the upper bracket limits the downward thrust of the plunger.

The operation of the machine is as follows: The frame B being drawn back and the clamping-strips b I) turned up, a sheet of cap-paper is placed with its edges upon the frame B. The gage G is then turned over upon the sheet and the sheet adjusted to the proper position. One of the clamping-pieces is now turned down and secured by its button I). The gage is then thrown back, and the opposite edge of the paper clamped between the strip 1) and frame. The frame B is now advanced until the forward edge of the paper is directly over the stationary blade K. As the knives are forced down by the lever I the front edge of the sheet will be trimmed true, the first row of caps slitted longitudinally by the cutters J, and the pawl D carried back by stud dto take into the next tooth of its ratchet-barf). The sheet is in the meantime held between the plates L and M. As the lever and plunger are carried'up the spring-rod 0 holds the presser down until the knives J are withdrawn from the paper. At this moment the stud-pin cl strikes the lever, which moves pawl I) and advances the cap-sheet the length of one row of pellets. As the lever I is brought down again the first row of caps are severed and drop into the box beneath the funnel, and the next row are separated longitudinally by knives J. The operation is continued until the entire sheetis severed into caps and delivered into the boxes.

It is evident the lever I may be operated by a treadle or power may be applied in any wellknown manner. In either case the operator would have both hands free to place and remove the boxes and cover them, ready for sale.

Having thus described my invention,what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1s-

1. The combination, substantially as hereinbefore set forth, of the open sliding sheet-carrying frame, the stationary bed-plate grooved to receive the same, and the vertically-sliding plunger carrying the slitting and transverse cutting knives, with the ratchet-bar O and pawl D, to feed the paper forward at the upward stroke of the knife-carryin g plunger.

2. The combination of the bed-plate and open sheet-carrying frame with the longitudinal and transverse cutting-knives and the clampin g-plates L M, for holding the sheet while the caps are separated.

3. The combination, substantially as specified, of the sheet-carryin g frame, the bed-plate having longitudinal slots at the front end thereof, the pointed cutting-blades J, and the vertically-slidin g plunger carrying said blades, and operating as set forth.

4. .The combination, substantially as before set forth, of the vertically-sliding plunger, longitudinal and transverse cutters J K, and stationary cutter K, for severing the caps from ,the sheet, with the slotted stationary plate L and slotted presser-platc M, to hold the paper while being severed.

5. In a cap-cutting machine such as described, the combination, as set forth, of the open paper-carrying frame B, sliding in bedplate A, rack G, with pawl D, operated by the plunger to intermittently feed the frame forward, with the cord andweight and detent F, to steady the feeding-frame and retain it in the desired position.

6. In a machine for cutting toy caps from a sheet, the combination, substantially as specified, of the funnel P and the automatic boxfeeding mechanism, consisting of trough Q, ratchet-bar '1, bell-crank R, sliding bar U, and pawl V.

7. The feeding mechanism for feeding the pellet-dotted sheet to the cutters, the cutting mechanism for severing said sheet into caps, and mechanism adapted to automatically deliver and pack the severed caps in boxes for sale, the said several mechanisms being constructed, combined. and operating substantially in the manner hereinbefore set forth.

CHARLES HOFF.

Witnesses:

GEo. J. MURRAY, CHAS. F. GEssER'r. 

